An Assessment of 

Training Needs for the 

Lumber Manufacturing 

Industry in the Eastern 

United States 

Joseph Denig 

Scott Page

Yuhua Su

Karen Martinson

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

Forest

Products

Laboratory

Research

Paper

FPL–RP–646
January 2008

Denig, Joseph; Page, Scott; Su, Yuhua; Martinson, Karen. 2008. An assessment of training needs for the lumber manufacturing industry in the eastern 

United States. Research Paper FPL-RP-646. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 7 p.

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Abstract

A training needs assessment of the primary forest products 

industry was conducted for 33 eastern states. This publication presents in detail the statistical analysis of the study. Of 

the 2,570 lumber manufacturing companies, consisting of 

firms with more than six employees for the U.S. Department 

of Labor Standard Industrial Classification Code 2421, the 

response rate to the survey was 18.1%.

The study found that over the next 5 years, 36% of the current skilled positions are projected to be replaced. Based 

on the number of new key employees that will be needed 

to replace current employees, the most important fields are 

lumber grading, millwrighting, and sawyers.

Employers are willing to send their employees to training 

programs, especially those programs that are three to five 

days in length. The maximum travel distances a regionalized 

training center should expect to draw from is a 275-mile 

radius.

Employers would be most interested in the core programs 

of wood products curriculum offered at community colleges 

in the past, including lumber inspection, sawyer training, 

and saw filing training. Millwrighting subjects also ranked 

highly with employers.

Keywords: lumber manufacturing industry, training needs 

assessment, wood product program, Haywood Community 

College

Contents

Page

Training Needs for the Lumber Manufacturing Industry..... 1

Objectives ............................................................................ 1

Methods................................................................................ 1

Results and Discussion ........................................................ 2

 Type of Manufacturer....................................................... 2

 Number of Employees ..................................................... 3

 Finding Skilled Employees.............................................. 3

 Use of a Regional Training Center................................... 3

 Length of Training ........................................................... 3

 Travel Distance for Training ............................................ 4

 Training or Hiring Employees ......................................... 4

 Hardwood Lumber Inspector........................................... 5 

 Sawyer Training............................................................... 5

 Saw Filing ........................................................................ 5 

 Millwrighting ................................................................... 5

 Log Grading..................................................................... 5

 Dry Kiln Operator Training ............................................. 6

 Planer Operations............................................................. 6

 Training Support for Companies...................................... 6

Conclusions and Recommendations.................................... 7
An Assessment of Training Needs for the 

Lumber Manufacturing Industry in the 

Eastern United States

Joseph Denig, Professor and Departmental Extension Leader

Department of Wood and Paper Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 

Scott Page, Former Coordinator of the Wood Products Program

Haywood Community College, Clyde, North Carolina

Yuhua Su, PhD Candidate 

Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 

Karen Martinson, Program Specialist

Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin

Training Needs for the Lumber 

Manufacturing Industry 

In 1969, Haywood Technical Institute, now Haywood 

Community College, Clyde, North Carolina, established a 

wood products program to train log graders, sawyers, lumber graders, dry kiln operators, planer mill operators, saw 

filers, and other key operational positions for the lumber 

industry. The program evolved into one offering individual 

courses, certificate programs, and an associate degree to 

students completing a 2-year program. 

Students attending the different programs were often employed in key production positions with the lumber manufacturing industry immediately upon completion of their 

instruction. Those individuals that stayed with industry usually progressed to mid-level management and played important roles in keeping rural economies strong. Even though 

the program was a community college program, it attracted 

students from surrounding states and had an excellent reputation with the industry both nationally and internationally. 

The program had enrollment challenges and closed in 2003.

Since that time, some in the lumber manufacturing industry 

have noticed a void in available training for employees, and 

these concerns were expressed to different industry organizations. This study was conceived though the Southern 

Appalachian Multiple Use Council in cooperation with the 

USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL). 

The lumber manufacturing industry has been adaptable and 

has remained competitive when compared with other manufacturing industries. For local rural economies based on the 

lumber manufacturing industry, well-paying manufacturing jobs are the norm. To remain competitive, the lumber 

manufacturing industry has stressed increasing productivity 

and yield from the raw material. Today the industry is significantly better able to convert logs to lumber, conserving 

our timber resources while using human resources more 

effectively. To achieve this high level of performance, the 

industry has incorporated and modified various high technology disciplines such as metalworking, computer modeling, and scanning technology. In lumber manufacturing, 

these technologies are transformed into both operating and 

maintenance skills such as saw filing (the science of saw 

sharpening to maintain thin kerf saw blades), efficient primary log breakdown (the ability to harness computer modeling and scanning technology to increase product yield), and 

highly technical maintenance functions such as those related 

to programmable logic controls (PLC) and other electronic 

and hydraulic subsystems. 

The skills required to operate a lumber manufacturing facility are a mixture of industry-specific skills (sawing fundamentals, operational efficiencies) and generic industrial 

skills (welding, industrial hydraulics, and industrial 

electrical skills). To teach industry-specific skills in a 

cost-effective manner, it may be best to teach them at either 

a regional or national center. The other critical (but industry 

generic) skills may be taught more cost-effectively at local 

training centers, such as community colleges, in conjunction 

with other industries.

Objectives

The objectives of this study are to determine (1) the training 

needs of the lumber industry in the eastern United States, 

(2) the time and travel commitment the industry is willing 

to invest in employee training, and (3) an understanding of 

what skills are considered specific to lumber manufacturing 

and what can be combined with the needs of other industries 

and taught locally.

Methods

A needs assessment of the primary forest products industry was conducted for 33 eastern states. The first step was 
Research Paper FPL–RP–646

2

to raise awareness of the survey. News releases were sent 

to industry associations, groups, and industry newsletters including the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, 

Hardwood Review, Southern Forest Products Association, 

Wood Components Manufacturers Association, Hardwood 

Research Council, Hardwood Manufacturers Association, 

Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, Southern 

Pine Inspection Bureau, North Carolina Forestry Association, Southeastern Saw Filers Educational Association, 

Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, Midwest 

Sawfilers Association, Southern Sawfilers Association, Lake 

Erie and Ontario Sawyers and Sawfilers Association, Lake 

States Sawfilers Educational Association, Southeastern Dry 

Kiln Club, Ohio Valley Dry Kiln Association, Southern Appalachian Multiple Use Council, and the Hardwood Market 

Report. 

A questionnaire was developed with input from the FPL 

Wood Products Research Assistant Director, industry representatives with the Southern Appalachian Multiple Use 

Council, and educators, including two of the authors. The 

draft questionnaire was then given to industry cooperators to 

evaluate the survey and add their input.

The final survey was mailed to 2,570 lumber manufacturing 

companies comprised of firms with more than six employees for the U.S. Department of Labor Standard Industrial 

Classification Code (SIC) 2421, Saw and Planing Mills, for 

the 33 states that comprise the Eastern United States. Under 

the newer North American Industry Classification System 

codes (NAICS, which has replaced the SIC system), this 

includes 32113-Sawmills; 321912-Cut Stock, Resawing 

Lumber, and Planing; 32918-Other Millwork (including 

flooring); and 321999-All Other Miscellaneous Wood 

Products Manufacturing. The initial mailing was followed 

up with another copy of the survey sent out to nonresponding firms approximately 5 weeks after the initial 

mailing. In order to spur response to the survey, those responding will be eligible for a drawing for a gift donated by 

an industry cooperator. The raw data were then compiled in 

Microsoft Excel and statistically analyzed using SAS Version 9.1.3 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina).

Results and Discussion

The initial mailing yielded a result of 306 firms responding. 

The final tally of returned surveys was 465, for a response 

rate of 18.1%. The geographical location of the respondents 

is shown in Table 1. Of these respondents, 72% were hardwood producers, 22% were pine producers, and 6% were 

mixed hardwood and pine producers.

The participants in the survey were categorized by their annual production. Hardwood and hardwood/pine producers 

with an annual production of greater than 10 million board 

feet were considered large, whereas pine producers with an 

annual production greater than 50 million board feet were 

considered large. The average hardwood operation in the 

survey produced 11.1 million board feet annually, the average pine operation produced 46.9 million board feet annually, and the average for the mixed hardwood/pine operation 

was 7.9 million board feet annually. 

The participants were asked if they were primarily a sawmill, a remanufacturing plant, concentration yard, or a 

combination of a sawmill and a remanufacturing plant or 

concentration yard. Overall, sawmills accounted for 76.3% 

of the responses. 

Type of Manufacturer

The type of manufacturer responding by species and size 

follows:

• Small hardwood sawmills, 37.6%

• Large hardwood sawmills, 18.0%

Table 1—Survey response from 464 

lumber manufacturing firms

State 

Respondents

by state (no.) 

Respondents

by state (%) 

AL 14 3.02 

AR 9 1.94 

CT 1 0.22 

FL 8 1.72 

GA 15 3.23 

IA 4 0.86 

IL 6 1.29 

IN 10 2.16 

KY 19 4.09 

LA 3 0.65 

MA 5 1.08 

MD 3 0.65 

ME 15 3.23 

MI 22 4.74 

MN 6 1.29 

MO 19 4.09 

MS 11 2.37 

NC 63 13.58 

NH 10 2.16 

NJ 1 0.22 

NY 17 3.66 

OH 15 3.23 

PA 29 6.25 

RI 0 0.00 

SC 14 3.02 

TN 29 6.25 

TX 6 1.29 

VA 45 9.70 

VT 7 1.51 

WI 29 6.25 

WV 28 6.03 

Other 1 0.22 

Total 464 100.0
3

• Small pine sawmills, 12.0%

• Large pine sawmills, 4.9% 

Number of Employees

The survey asked the participants about their number of 

employees. Overall, the average number of employees was 

53.5. The average numbers of employees was broken down 

by the type of species processed:

• Hardwood operation, 49.9 

• Pine operations, 74.1 

• Mixed hardwood/pine operations, 32.0 

The average number of employees was broken down by the 

type of manufacturing:

• Sawmills, 50.2 

• Re-manufacturers or concentration yards, 48.7 

• Both sawmills and remanufacturing or concentration 

yards, 153.6 

Pine producers are generally considered more efficient in 

terms of production per person hour than hardwood producers. Figure 1 shows the average annual production in millions of board feet per employee. 

The number of key employees currently employed in the 

eastern United States and the estimated number of key employees to be replaced in the next 5 years is presented in Table 2. Overall, these firms have 37,779 key employees with 

13,531 (36%) of them expected to be replaced in the next 5 

years. The increase in technology and the large number of 

projected new employees will create a tremendous need for 

training. From the projected number of new employees, the 

most important fields are lumber grading, millwrighting, and 

sawyers. Technology is moving in the direction of replacing 

lumber graders with machines. This trend is already seen 

in larger softwood mills with machines assisting lumber 

graders with decisions. With the average production level of 

hardwood firms being smaller and the variation in hardwood 

lumber being greater, it will be more difficult to replace 

hardwood lumber graders with new technology. As technology increases, the need for skilled millwrights will increase. 

Sawing will be a skill that will be needed in the foreseeable 

future. 

Finding Skilled Employees

Employers were asked how they currently obtained skilled 

employees and responded as follows (1, never; 3, sometimes; 5, always): 

• Training in house, 3.02

• Hire a trained employee, 2.04 

• Train in house and send out for specialized training, 1.57

• Train in house and bring in an outside trainer, 1.02

The response from hardwood producers was not significantly different than that of pine or mixed hardwood/pine 

producers. Bringing in an outside trainer, hiring a trained 

employee, and sending out for specialized training were not 

frequently used. The dilemma for the lumber manufacturing industry is evident. Training in house is often difficult 

because of the demands on the time of supervisors and managers. Hiring skilled employees from other mills is often 

expensive because employees from other mills often have 

a short tenure and move on to other opportunities. Outside 

trainers are limited, leaving the industry with limited choices for developing a skilled work force. The combination of 

a high replacement rate of skilled employees over the next 5 

years and the fact that most employees are trained in house 

point to considerable training opportunities in the future.

Use of a Regional Training Center

Manufacturers using different species were asked if they 

would use a regional center if one were available to train 

their employees: (1, never; 3, sometimes; 5, always):

• Hardwood manufacturers, 2.79

• Pine manufacturers, 3.15

• Hardwood/pine manufacturers, 2.71

• Average of all manufacturers, 2.79

There was no statistical difference (0.05 level) between the 

responses from the type of species produced. Producers in 

general responded that they would sometimes use a regional 

training center. This is in contrast with their current method 

of acquiring skilled employees, training in house, or hiring 

outside employees. 

Length of Training

Employers indicated the number of employees they would 

be willing to send next year to different length training venues:

• Three-day workshop, 2.35

• Week-long workshop, 1.60

• Two-week workshop, 1.08

• Two-month course, 0.61

• Four-month course, 0.56 

The shorter the training session is, the more supportive the 

employers are and the more willing they are to send their 

An Assessment of Training Needs for the Lumber Manufacturing Industry in the Eastern United States

Figure 1—Annual production by species per employee. 
4

employees. In practical terms, it means employers are more 

willing to send employees to short-term workshops (threeday and week-long) than to longer sessions. Using the average number of employees that employers are willing to send 

to each length of training times the number of firms, there 

is a potential audience of 15,935 employees in the eastern 

United States, broken down as follows:

• Three-day, 6,040 

• One-week, 4,112 

• Two-week, 2,776 

• Two-month, 1,568 

• Four-month, 1,439 

Compare the total number of employees that manufacturers 

are willing to send to training next year (15,935) to the total 

number of key employees expected to be replaced in the 

next 5 years (13,531). These numbers strongly suggest that 

opportunities to provide training to the industry exist.

Travel Distance for Training

Firms were asked the maximum travel distance they would 

send their employees for training venues of different lengths 

if a regional center were available (expressed in miles):

• Three-day, 208 

• Week-long, 271 

• Two-week, 306 

• Two-month, 389

• Four-month, 352 

Combining the information about the desirable distance of 

training centers with the information about the number of 

employees firms are willing to send to training venues of 

different length, one can interpret that the draw radius for 

a successful regional training program would be approximately 275 miles.

Training or Hiring Employees

The interests of employers in sending for training or hiring 

employees with different skills follow (1, no interest; 

3, moderate interest; and 5, strong interest):

• Lumber inspector, 2.47

• Sawyer, 2.10

• Saw filer, 1.93

• Millwright, 1.76

• Log grading, 1.71

• Dry kiln operator, 1.58

• Planer operator, 1.52

Overall, there was a different level of interest for different 

skills. Employers would be most interested in lumber inspectors, sawyers, and saw filers. These were coincidentally 

the core program of the past Wood Products Program at 

Haywood Community College. Millwrighting was surprisingly only ranked fourth in employers’ interest in sending to 

training or hiring employees with specific training. This is 

in contrast to the high projected demand for individuals with 

millwrighting skills as seen by the projected replacement 

levels in the next 5 years. When further analyzing the data, 

pine producers were more interested in dry kiln operators’ 

training than hardwood producers, which can be attributed to the current availability of hardwood lumber drying 

courses. 

Research Paper FPL–RP–646

Table 2—Current and projected number of key employees to be 

replaced in the next five years in firms larger than six employees 

for eastern United Statesa

Key employees 

Average 

number of 

current

employees 

(responses)

Ratio of projected 

hires in next 5 

years compared 

with current 

employees 

(responses)

Current

employees 

(no.)

Projected 

replacement

employees

needed 

(no.)

Log grader/scaler 1.77 

(374)

0.32

(213)

4,549 1,456 

Sawyers 2.28 

(385)

0.36

(238)

5,860 2,110 

Saw filers 1.59

(334)

0.32

(175)

4,086 1,307 

Lumber inspectors 3.30 

(381)

0.39

(175)

8,481 3,308 

Dry kiln operators 1.17 

(329)

0.33

(128)

3,007 992 

Planer operators 1.45 

(324)

0.39

(145)

3,726 1,453 

Millwrights 3.14

(341)

0.36

(196)

8,070 2,905 

Overall 0.36 37,779 13,531 a

 Standard Industrial Classification Code 3421, Saw and Planing Mills. 
5

Hardwood Lumber Inspector

Employers expressed different levels of interest about various hardwood lumber inspector subjects were expressed 

by number (1, no interest; 3, moderate interest; 5, strong 

interest):

• Measurement and tally, 2.99

• Rules for the standard grades, 2.76

• Species inspection, 2.65

• Hardwood lumber markets, 2.38

• Supervision and management, 2.32

• Lumber packaging, 2.20

Hardwood producers were more interested in teaching the 

fundamentals including measurement and tally, standard 

grading rules, and rules for grading species rather than skills 

that would be more useful for refining operations. The later 

skills assist in more advanced job positions that graders may 

move into later in their career; for example, lumber sales.

Sawyer Training

Employer interest levels in various subjects related to 

sawyer training were expressed by number (1, no interest; 

3, moderate interest; 5, strong interest):

• Grade sawing, 2.86

• Carriage and equipment maintenance, 2.62

• Mill alignment, 2.64

• Edger and trimmer operation, 2.51

• Band saw operations, 2.41

• Optimizer function, set-up, and maintenance, 2.31

• Circle saw operation, 1.98

Hardwood, pine, and mixed hardwood/pine producers responded differently, which can be expected considering their 

current operation. For instance, grade sawing is much more 

critical in a hardwood lumber operation than in a pine structural lumber operation.

Employers were more interested in grade sawing, carriage 

and equipment maintenance, mill alignment, edger and trimmer operation, and band saw operation than optimizer function, set-up, and maintenance and circle saw operation.

Saw Filing

Employer interest levels in various subjects related to saw 

filing were expressed by number (1, no interest; 3, moderate 

interest; 5, strong interest):

• Grinder alignment and maintenance, 2.27

• Band saws, leveling, tensioning, grinding, 2.25

• Thin kerf saw/gang saws, 1.97

• Carbide/satellite tipping and grinding, 1.87

• Headsaw, circle saw, hammering, 1.86

• Supervision and management, 1.84

Hardwood, pine, and mixed hardwood/pine producers responded with very little difference on different subjects.

In practical terms overall, employers put different weight on 

different subjects. Employers were more interested in grinder alignment and bandsaw filing than the other subject areas. 

Millwrighting

Employer interest levels in various subjects related to millwrighting were expressed by number (1, no interest; 3, moderate interest; 5, strong interest):

• Basic electrical maintenance and trouble shooting, 2.86

• Hydraulics, 2.84

• Machine and mill alignment, 2.80

• Pneumatics, 2.70

• Maintenance planning, 2.67

• Programmable logic controller (PLC) and control circuits, 

2.59

• Machine feed rates and variables, 2.52

• Welding, 2.47

• Drive selection and alignment, 2.46

• Supervision and management, 2.36

Millwrighting was never a separate subject area in Haywood 

Community College’s Wood Products Program (it was always combined with the other job skills), yet it received the 

strongest overall response by all producers. The strong positive response to millwrighting subjects was also in contrast 

to the fourth place ranking in employers’ interest in sending 

or hiring employees to or with specific training skills. The 

strong interest in millwrighting subjects is, however, in line 

with the high projected demand for individuals with millwrighting skills in the next 5 years. Hardwood, pine, and 

mixed hardwood/pine producers responded with statistically 

insignificant levels of difference.

Log Grading

Employer interest levels in various subjects related to log 

grading were expressed by number (1, no interest; 3, moderate interest; 5, strong interest):

• Relation of log grade to lumber grade, 2.47

• Grade yield studies, 2.45

• Scaling volume compared to defect deduction, 2.43

• Volume yield studies, 2.38

• Supervision and management, 2.08

• Species identification, 1.95

Overall, employers were more interested in the relation of 

log grades to lumber grades, grade yield studies, scaling 

volume/defect deductions, and volume yield studies than 

supervision/management and species identification.

Further analysis showed that the different subjects 

had different levels of responses by the different 

An Assessment of Training Needs for the Lumber Manufacturing Industry in the Eastern United States
6

producers—hardwood, pine, or mixed hardwood/pine 

producers. The difference in the responses by the different 

producers can be expected considering how they currently 

operate. For instance, identifying log species is critical in a 

hardwood operation, whereas many southern yellow pine 

producers group the different pine species together.

Dry Kiln Operator Training

Figures 2 and 3 present the different interest levels from 

hardwood and pine manufacturers in various subjects related 

to dry kiln operator training. When the data were analyzed, 

hardwood producers had a different response than pine 

producers. The difference in the responses can be expected 

because pine lumber, in most cases, is dried differently 

(faster and in more extreme conditions) than hardwoods. 

Hardwood producers wanted the courses that are taught in 

traditional hardwood kiln operator training courses, whereas 

pine producers were most interested in kiln maintenance, 

operations, and high temperature drying.

Planer Operations

Planer operations are more integral to pine operations than 

hardwood operations. 

Employer interest levels in various subjects related to 

planer operator training were expressed by number (1, no 

interest; 3, moderate interest; 5, strong interest) by pine 

manufacturers:

• Planer alignment, maintenance, and troubleshooting, 3.05

• Planer mill productivity and machine feed rates, 2.82

• Knife grinding, 2.68

• Pattern setup, 2.49

• Supervision and management, 2.49

• Dry storage moisture control, 2.14

• Rip saw operation, 1.95

Pine manufacturers were most interested in planer alignment, maintenance and troubleshooting, planer mill productivity and machine feed rates, and knife grinding.

In all the different subject areas, supervision and management training was usually rated lower compared with other 

subject areas. This was an interesting response, as development of supervisors and managers is often identified as 

weak by lumber manufacturers. Often technically competent 

personnel are promoted to supervisors with poor results because the new supervisors lack personnel skills.

Training Support from Companies

Companies are willing to provide different levels of training 

support were expressed by number (1, no interest; 3, moderate interest; 5, strong interest):

• Help educate grade/high school youth in the opportunities 

in the forest products industry, 2.16

• Help recruit students in their local area, 2.10

• Willing to send and find students from their area, 1.69

• Willing to support a general scholarship fund for students, 

1.33

No significant differences in the level of support were evident between the different producers—hardwood, pine, or 

mixed hardwood. Employers were willing to help educate 

grade and high school youth in the opportunities within the 

forest products industry and help recruit students in their local area. Thereafter, their interest in support tapers off. 

Research Paper FPL–RP–646

Figure 2—Different interest levels in various subjects 

related to dry kiln operator training by hardwood producers.

Figure 3—Different interest levels in various subjects 

related to dry kiln operator training by pine producers.
7

Conclusions and Recommendations

The study reflected that lumber manufacturers in the eastern 

United States presently have a strong tendency to obtain 

skilled employees by training in house or hiring employees 

with those needed skills from other manufacturers. Over 

the next 5 years, 36% of the current skilled positions are 

projected to be replaced. Based on the number of new key 

employees that will be needed to replace current employees, 

the most important fields are lumber grading, millwrighting, 

and sawyers. The study showed that the potential demand 

for training is much greater than the expected number of 

employees to be replaced in the next 5 years.

Employers are willing to send their employees to training 

programs, especially those programs that are three days to 

one week in length. The maximum travel distance a regionalized training center should expect to draw from is a 

275-mile radius.

Employers would be most interested in subjects that were 

the core program of past wood products at Haywood Community College, including training for lumber inspectors, 

sawyers, and saw filers. Millwrighting was surprisingly only 

ranked fourth in employers’ interest in sending or hiring employees to or with specific training. This is in contrast to the 

high projected demand for individuals with millwrighting 

skills as seen by the projected replacement levels in the next 

5 years. It is therefore recommended that any new training 

program for employees include millwrighting as an area of 

concentration.

Employers were willing to help educate grade and high 

school youth in opportunities in the forest products industry 

and help recruit students in their local area. Recruitment of 

students for training programs by educational institutions 

has proven to be one of the biggest obstacles of having successful training programs in the forest products industry in 

the past. A key part of having a successful training program 

in the future will be for the institution to capitalize on the 

industry’s willingness to educate grade and high school 

youth in the opportunities in the forest products industry and 

help recruit students in their local area by coordinating and 

mobilizing recruitment efforts. 

An Assessment of Training Needs for the Lumber Manufacturing Industry in the Eastern United States